Message
The way people respond to failures determines whether they will eventually live in victory or not. Failure is not as bad as people paint it to be; it does not signify the end, but it is a signal to try again using a different method. Almost all scientific breakthroughs result from failure. If most scientists became sad and stopped after the first time they failed, they would never have had breakthroughs. Every successful person you see is a product of many failures. If you try today and fail, rise up and try again in a different way. As long as you are sure that what you are doing is in line with the will of God, don't give up on it; keep trying until you succeed.
In today's Bible reading, the Israelites asked God if they should go to battle against the Benjamites and if they would win. God told them to fight and that they would win. However, when they got to the battlefield, they were defeated. The question on their minds would have been, “Did God deceive us?” They refused to give up, got themselves together, and went to ask God again if they should return to battle the Benjamites. God told them to go, and once again, the Benjamites defeated them. At that point, giving up would have seemed reasonable; they had already lost 40,000 men, and it looked as if God, the only one they could trust, was deceiving them. If they had given up, they would have been commended for trying, but they did not give up. They went back to God, and this time, they fasted and gave offerings to God. They asked again if they should return to fight the Benjamites, and God said that they should go. They went, and as you read in the story, they used a different strategy and were able to defeat the Benjamites. Don't give up; your breakthrough is probably just around the corner. Try once again.
When next you encounter failure, ask yourself, “Why is God letting me go through this?” If you have been consistent with your prayer life and walk with God, ask, “What can I learn from this experience? What is God trying to teach me with this failure? Are there other strategies to achieve my goal?” If you answer these questions sincerely, you will draw valuable lessons that will help you achieve success the next time you try.